NHS Scotland gets £525m in funding

Scotland’s health service has been allocated £525m for new NHS facilities and the upgrade of equipment and IT systems.

Of this, £324m will be spent on new built and improving existing facilities until 2009.

The remaining funding will be spent on other services such as e-health, primary care and primary and community care premises.

Nicola Sturgeon, cabinet secretary for health and wellbeing, said: "The record funding I am announcing today will enable NHS boards across Scotland to continue with their building programmes to ensure that we have a health service infrastructure that is fit for the 21st Century."

One of the projects funded by the new budget is a new 24-bed community hospital at Bonar Bridge in Sutherland.

Raigmore Hospital in Inverness will also benefit from a new day surgery centre. Work on both projects will start next year.